OK, so you're looking for a viable Democratic Vice Presidential candidate who happens to be female, but most assuredly is not the self-absorbed, win-at-any-and-all-cost, mean-spirited blackheart that is Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-Heart of Darkness). Well, you might just be in luck, because, if there's any justice in this world, Barack Obama may just pick the woman who may truly be destined to be this country's first female President. I'm referring, of course, to Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, a young, articulate, and whip-smart pol who managed to get herself elected Governor in one of the reddest states in the nation- Kansas- as a Progressive, pro-choice Democrat. That Sebelius was able to pull off this political masterstroke only begins to speak to her ability to appeal to a wide range of voters of all ideological stripes. Plus, Bob Novak HATES HER, which pretty much automotically moves her to the head of the class in my estimation.
Sebelius's obvious drawback is that she's not going to add much in the way of geographical balance to a Democratic ticket. However, if Obama's smart (and I believe he most assuredly is), he'll recognize that he couldn't do much better than Sebelius, who is quite possibly the smartest and most capable Democratic politician you've never heard of. In addition to being smart and possessed with an uncanny ability to appeal to voters on both sides of the ideological divide, Sebelius has demonstrated that politics, at least in Kansas, don't necessarily have to be a zero-sum game. This certainly fits in with Obama's stated goal of doing things differently.
Another added advantage to an Obama- Sebelius ticket is that as a peace offering it might go a long ways towards mollifying those Clinton supporters who smell more than a whiff of sexism in their hero's political self-immolation. No, Kathleen Sebelius isn't Hillary Clilnton, but being female will allow both her and Obama to convincingly make the argument that he values the support of Democratic women. Sebelius also has the advantage of not being the sort of washed-up, bitter harridan that HRC has devolved into over the past few months as her campaign continues to circle the drain. Lord knows the Democratic party deserves better than the sort of bitter, to-the-manor-born, sense of entitlement that has characterized Clinton's campaign. Kathleen Sebelius would provide Democrats the positives of a capable female standard-bearer without the world-record levels of negative energy that seems to be what HRC represents these days.
